I made my first batch about six years ago while attending PennState. I was in my "hippy stage" and frequented a health food store (had to eat something besides the 30+ beers per day. Thet had a moderate selection of homebrew supplies so I figured I'd give it a shot. I bought ingredients on a whim, picking the "coolest sounding" ingredients and a basic kit. The beer sucked. I blame it on poor sanitization. The aftertaste was similar to underwear mixed with old shoe which surprised me because I removed my roommate's underwear and old shoes from the batch as soon as they fell in. I figured that it wasn't worth pursuing this hobby..... until a couple years ago. My friends and I enjoyed great beers, but all agreed that there was no "perfect beer". That's why we started a homebrew club.... to make the perfect beer. Since then we have made dozens of "perfect beers". I am a heavy beer drinker (approx 10gal per week) and I have been drinking only my own beer for 6mo now. Our small club has allowed us to upgrade to 10gal all-grain w/o alot of personal investment, sharing the costs of equipment and so forth. So that's my story... I couldn't find the perfect beer, so I made one.

If you are looking to find or start a club you should really reference the AHA (American Homebrewing Association) website which has lots of very good information on brew clubs. The following link should take you directly to the right page. http://www.beertown.org/AHA/Clubs/clubshome.htmAs far as competitions go, you can check with local brewclubs for events in the area or check magazines such as "Zymurgy" and "Brew Your Own" which usually have info on national brewing competitions. Hope this was helpful.

If you don't have a local club, start one. It does not really take much, just a few dedicated homebrewers and some beer connoisseurs. Mine has only a handful of active members, but we have a ton of fun. We meet once a month and usually gather for a "social night" at an area pub once between each monthly meeting. We also enjoy any local beer festivals and exploit any opportunity to advertise our hobby by way of public venue. We attend any local beer festivals and encourage our members to submit their brews to any AHA sanctioned competitions. My favorite part is where our club elders share with us lesser-experienced brewers their brewing experiences so that we may learn from their failures and triumphs. Good luck!
Cheers,
Ford

I was very lucky that my screw-up on the first batch didn't contaminate it. It was a mistake I'll never make again. We're malting grains for a new batch, this time using millet, sorghum, and corn. I'm hoping for something resembling Hefeweizen.

I'm full of lines, John. Well, I'm full of something anyway from what folks tell me On a serious note, I've had the distinct pleasure of serving with submariners in my current assignment. Out of all the jobs in the Navy, it's theirs and the Marine Corps I respect the most. Maybe that's herecy since I come from a long lineage of Army stock . But anyway, I'd like to encourage all of you, next time you see a servicemember or a vet, to just simply say "Thank you for your service"--it actually means alot to us believe it or not. And for those that have fallen, cherish their memory on Memorial Day. Ok, I'll step down from my soapbox Until next time...duty, honor, country. And as they say in NH, "Live free or die!"
--Cheers!